Wolf Moon
by lovemeforalways
Summary: What we all wanted to happen-Bella chose Jacob! Not just any run-of-the-mill Twilight fanfic, a real jewel written by a fantastic and humble writer! Come one, come all, and watch Bella make the right decision!
1. Teaser: The Beginning

**Wolf Moon**

The Wolf Moon is a full moon that occurs in January. Its name comes from hungry wolf packs that would howl outside the villages of Native Americans. This symbolizes, along with Jacob's ethnicity and newfound abilities(i.e., turning into a wolf), a new love after the darkest time of Bella's life.

_Beginning on page 375 of New Moon:_

Would it be so wrong to try to make Jacob happy? Even if the love I felt for him was no more than a weak echo of what I was capable of, even if my heart was far away, wandering and grieving over my fickle Romeo, would it be so very wrong?

Jacob stopped the truck in front of my dark house, cutting the engine so it was suddenly silent. Like so many other times, he seemed to be in tune with my thoughts now.

He threw his other arm around me, crushing me against his chest, binding me to him. Again, this felt nice. Almost like being a whole person again.

I thought he would be thinking of Harry, but then he spoke, and his tone was apologetic. "Sorry. I know you don't feel exactly the way I do, Bells. I swear I don't mind. I'm just so glad you're okay that I could sing-and that's something no one wants to hear." He laughed his throaty laugh in my ear.

My breathing kicked up a notch, sanding the walls of my throat.

Wouldn't Edward, indifferent as he might be, want me to be as happy as possible under the circumstances? Wouldn't enough friendly emotion linger for him to want that much for me? I thought he would. He wouldn't begrudge me this: giving just a small bit of the love he didn't want to my friend Jacob. After all, it wasn't the same love at all.

Jake pressed his warm cheek against the top of my hair.

If I turned my face to the side-if I pressed my lips against his bare shoulder…I knew without any doubt exactly what would follow. It would be very easy. There would be no need for explanations tonight.

But could I do it? Could I betray my absent heart to save my pathetic life?

Butterflies assaulted my stomach as I thought about turning my head.

And then, as clearly as if I were in immediate danger, Edward's velvet voice whispered in my ear.

"Be happy," he told me.

I froze.

Jacob felt me stiffen and released me automatically, reaching for the door.

But, miraculously, I recovered. "Wait," I whispered, both to Jacob and Edward. Jake hesitated, and turned his head back toward me.

I don't know what my face looked like, but Jacob saw something in it that must have given him courage. He took his hand from the door handle and brought it to my jaw. He leaned in.

With Edward's blessing, I leaned toward Jacob, and our lips connected.


	2. Chapter 2: Visitor

When I had kissed Edward, it always felt like an electric current was running through our lips, awakening every nerve in my body. But with Jacob, it was subtler, something that built up. It was warm and comfortable, but got more intense as time went on. Seconds, hours, days…I couldn't have told you how long that kiss lasted, but when it ended Jake's hand was in my hair and mine were around his neck, and I was feeling disheveled and awkward and confused. But when I looked back into his brown face, and saw his smile slowly spread, displaying his bright teeth, something else filled me.

Happiness.

"Did that really just happen?" Jacob asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, it did."

His smile filled up his face. When had I seen him so happy? "Well, what took ya so long?" He asked.

I shrugged, not wanting to go into it, and knowing he didn't truly care. I took a deep breath, because I wasn't feeling quite myself. The throbbing in my chest was no longer of pain, but of excitement.

Jacob pulled me close, into a bear hug. A wolf hug, I suppose. He was so warm and welcoming…I had nearly forgotten about my cliff-diving incident, about the burning in my throat, about Harry…

"Oh, Harry," I moaned, sitting up straight. "I need to get inside."

Jacob nodded, becoming somber again. I began to prepare myself, to think of what would make things easier on Charlie. Jacob opened the door, and cold wind blew in.

"OH!" Jake said, sounding as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Holy _crap_!"

"What?" I asked, starting to get out.

"Stay," he told me, gesturing for me to close my door. "It's a vampire."

My intake of breath was loud in the silence of the street, a silence I now distrusted. "How can you tell?"

His face turned into a sneer. "I can smell it. Get back in!"

Slowly, I took my seat again, closing the door after me. He was muttering to himself as his eyes went back and forth over the street. He got all the way out of the car to look better, and that's when I saw that his body was shaking, tremors starting to roll down his spine. He turned back to me and saw my face. It must have been a sight to see, if it reflected anything close to the fear that was taking over my body.

Jake got back into the truck, and started the engine. It roared to life, and I bit my lip.

Seeing my worry, Jacob put his arm around me, and I leaned into him. It felt so natural…I wondered why I hadn't chosen this path before. Then again, I'd had plenty on my mind, plenty to sort through.

As Jacob turned the car around and began driving off, pushing the gas pedal far enough down that my old truck began groaning, I looked up at his face. It had turned hard and calculated-this was Wolf Jacob. In his mind he was probably going over vampire-killing methods or thinking of all the different ways Sam might order them to catch Victoria. The thought of her being in my house started filling me with even more dread…slowly my body iced over, with Jacob's warmth only feebly protecting me. Thank God Charlie hadn't been home. If he had…I shuddered.

"Hey," Jacob said, his face softening. He had felt my shiver. "It'll be alright. We got you covered, and Charlie'll be in La Push for a while anyway-we'll figure out a way to drag things out. Once we get back on the rez I'll drop you off and phase to let everyone know…" He trailed off, thinking again.

He drove me to his house, and got out of the car. The curtains to all the windows were drawn. I thought of Billy in there, grieving.

"Will you be alright here?" Jacob asked me. I nodded, even though I didn't feel like I'd be alright at all. "Okay," he said. "I'll get back to you, but it might be a while. Sam will probably want to go while the trail is fresh."

Again, I nodded. Slowly I got out of the truck. Jacob came around to my side and took my wrist. He leaned in, kissed my forehead, and muttered, "I'll be back."

Then he turned and disappeared into the trees.

The dread for myself turned into anxiety for him and the other wolves. They'd caught Laurent, but still…I didn't see how they could all come out of a fight with Victoria. My chest began to ache again. Curling my arms around my body, I went into the Black's house.

Billy was in the living room. The TV was on quietly, but he wasn't paying any attention to it. His face was downward, but he looked up when he heard me come in. His eyes were shiny with sadness.

"Bella…?" He asked.

"Victoria…at my house. Jake's letting the pack know."

Billy's eyes widened, and he nodded. Then his head drooped back down, and I realized I couldn't stand being in here.

"I'll be outside," I told him, and then walked out of the small house.

I wasn't sure where I wanted to go. Not the beach-not after I went cliff-jumping. I turned and went to Jacob's garage. The Rabbit was in there, along with the motorcycles. I stepped carefully around the metal scraps and tools lying on the floor, opened the passenger seat of the Rabbit, and sat down. I thought of all the time I'd spent in this car before it was finished…and after. I remembered the movie Jacob drove us to, of Mike getting the stomach flu. '_You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach,' _Jake had said. _'Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.'_

And then we'd had the talk about _us._ The talk I'd thought would always ring true…but look at me now. I'd chosen Paris, after my Romeo had walked away effortlessly. The edges of the hole began to burn…I hugged my chest, cursing. I hoped I had done away with that hole when I kissed Jacob. I should have known better. How naïve, to think that a simple kiss would make everything better, that I could heal a broken organ with a Band-Aid.

Once I'd gotten control of myself, I thought of Jacob. I thought of the smile he'd had in my truck, of the warmth of his body that was now _mine_, that I now owned in my own personal way.

Though I had already napped on Jacob's couch and there was fear lurking beneath my skin, I was tired. Tired enough that I fell asleep in the seat of Jacob's car, dozing with a smile on my face.


	3. Chapter 3: The Cullen

**A/N:**  
You are amazing.  
Just by reading this. And if you favorited, added to alerts, or reviewed, you are even more incredible.  
I want you all to know how loved I felt when I checked my email to find about 20 million messages from fanfic, telling me how much people loved my story. THANK YOU!!!!  
I've got more to say to you, but I'll let you read the chapter first. ;)  
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**Jacob's POV**

Once I was completely in the forest I took off my shorts and tied them around my ankle quickly. My whole body felt alive and restless-I couldn't wait to turn into a wolf. Then again, being a wolf would mean that the guys could read my thoughts and see exactly what was on my mind. Which, to say the least, would be embarrassing.

I took a deep breath and phased. Fur erupted out of my skin and my body swelled. I shook myself out, and then thought for a second. I could tell that there was a wolf out there-Embry.

_Hey Jake! What're you so happy about?_

He waited a second, listening to my thoughts and seeing the pictures in my head.

_Woah! That's a shocker._ He said it sarcastically, but I could tell he was happy for me.

_Yeah, _I thought. _But that doesn't matter right now._

I showed him the thing that had happened _after_the kiss-the reek of bloodsucker all over Bella's street. Embry started to buzz with excitement, anticipating a fight.

_Let's get the guys together,_ He said to me.

_Duh,_ I replied. Then we both threw our heads back and howled. I could hear him from a couple miles away. After a minute I felt Jared's consciousness join ours, and he howled too. Them Sam came, and lastly Paul. We stopped howling and they all waited as I retold the story. I didn't tell the part about me and Bella, of course, but my thoughts slipped a few times. Paul was groaning and moaning about the mushiness of it all.

_Shut up, Paul._ Sam thought, and then told us all where to meet. We ran to the clearing where he waited.

I got there first. Jared was close behind me, then Embry, and then Paul. The five of us stood in a circle. Sam spoke.

_We'll have to see if she ran. If she heard Jacob and Bella, she might have taken off. If so, we'll follow her trail. However, if she's still there, we'll have to surround her and wait. Embry, Paul, you take the west side. Jacob, you're going to be nearest the house, to the south. Jared and I will take the northeast, shifting if we have to. It might get risky if she decides to wait it out. Has Charlie been accounted for?_

I spoke up. _My dad'll know to keep him on the rez. He heard the call, and Bella probably told him the vamp is at her house._

Sam's black head nodded, and then he took off. Paul and Jared ran after him, Embry and me taking up the rear.

We got to the Swan's house, and the awful smell overwhelmed me. It was horrid, sickly-sweet, burning my nostrils. The smell was fresh. We poked around the house, but found no escape trails. So the leech was still inside…weird. I thought she'd take off if she knew we were coming.

We split up, taking the positions Sam had given to us. We were resolved to stay there until the bloodsucker came out.

We didn't have to wait long, but what happened next wasn't what any of us had expected.

I could see the house well from my spot-I was just far enough into the woods that no one from the street could see me. So after a minute or so, I could see clearly as the front door opened, and a vampire came out.

I'd been expecting the redheaded parasite, who was tall and thin. Instead, out came a short, slender, black-haired girl. And when she turned her head towards me, I saw her caramel-colored eyes.

A Cullen.

She saw me, and her lip curled. Not in a threatening way, really, more disgusted. I growled.

She looked around and then walked towards me, a repulsed scowl on her face. I tensed, but waited. The other wolves, seeing what was going on, tightened the circle.

_Find out what she's doing here,_ Sam ordered me.

"Werewolves. Lovely." The bloodsucker had reached the edge of the trees now, so we were a matter of yards apart. I took a deep breath, which was a bad idea. I choked on her smell. Then I phased back into a human.

She wrinkled her nose even more. "Put some clothes on, dog."

So I untied my shorts and slipped them back on. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'd like to ask the same thing. Last time I checked, you weren't supposed to be on our land."

The smell wasn't so bad when I was human, but that didn't help my impression of her much. "You gave up that claim when you moved away."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm here for a very important-and, unfortunate-" Her voice faltered for a second, but she regained composure. "-Reason. And you are _interfering._ So if you could please run back to your reservation and leave me in peace, I'd appreciate it."

"Why are you here?" I asked her, wondering what would make her voice break like that.

"I…heard that a dear friend of mine passed away."

A dear friend…no one was friends with vampires.

Then it hit me. I groaned. Actually, there was one human idiotic enough to hang out with leeches.

"Bella? What are you talking about? She's not dead."

The Cullen looked surprised. "What-how…oh, this is so _frustrating!_"

I raised my eyebrow. "What?"

"I can't _see_ anything with you around!"

See? What, was she blind? Then I remembered something Bella had told me.

"…_Alice could see things that were going to happen. The future, you know…"_

"You're Alice." I said to her.

Her eyebrow rose. "How do you know?"

"Bella's mentioned you. The future seeing one."

Her face changed then. "And Bella…"

"Is perfectly fine," I finished. "She's at my house right now."

The bloodsucker's-Alice's-face became puzzled. "But she jumped off a _cliff_."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's Bella. She decided to go cliff-diving without me since I was busy. Of course, she didn't notice it was practically a hurricane."

"But…but she's alright?" Alice asked.

I nodded. "I pulled her out before she drowned. She's fine."

Alice's face had turned into one of disapproval, which I decided not to decipher. "Then I guess my business here is done. Could you direct me to your house, so I can speak with her?"

There was no way in hell that was happening. First of all, a leech at my house? Yeah right. And secondly…I remembered Bella's pained face, her arms keeping her chest together at the simple mention of a Cullen. There was absolutely no chance I was letting her see one of them.

"I think it might be better if you don't see her."

"No, I really-"

"I _don't_ want her to have to deal with you again." I said. "And I mean that in the nicest way possible."

Honestly, that wasn't true. After what her family had done to Bella I had no reason not to be rude. However, I didn't want this to come to a fight. Sam'd be pissed if I ticked her off.

She sighed. "Fine. Thank you for…informing me. I'll be on my way."

She turned and walked back towards the house. I backed up and phased.

As soon as I was a wolf, the entire pack assaulted me with questions. I let them sort through my memories of what had happened.

_What the hell?_

_She can't see us?_

_Bella jumped off a cliff?_

The voices in my head were an unintelligible jumble. Then Sam's voice came through, twice as loud as everyone else.

_Shut up, everyone. Jacob, good job._

I grinned.

_Let's keep our positions until she leaves the house. _Sam told us. _Then I want Embry and Paul to follow her out, making sure she leaves. Please try to be discreet._

So we waited and watched. A few seconds later Alice came out of the house and got into the black Mercedes parked on the street. Then she drove off, away from me. Paul and Embry anticipated chasing her, though it wasn't really a chase. I turned and started back towards the reservation.

_You're not going to tell her, are you?_Embry asked me as he waited for the vampire to drive by.

_No. _I replied, aware that the whole pack was listening in. _I don't think she should know. And I don't want anyone else telling her._

There was a ripple of understanding through the group, a silent and sacred agreement. I began to run.

I wanted to get home fast, because something wonderful waited for me there.

* * *

So, Jacob's perspective, whadja think? Eh?  
Anyway, here's the deal. I'm going to post as much as I have of this story, bit-by-bit, for suspense...  
And then what?  
I'm a bit stuck. So if you ever have any ideas about where my story could go, well, send me a message!  
It's all about you guys, my readers, so tell me what you want and I will do my best to deliver.  
Well, that's all! Except for one thing: who watched SNL with Taylor Lautner? It was amazing. AMAZING. If you didn't see it, go look it up on YouTube. Now.  
I said now!  
Love you all,

Jenna


	4. Chapter 4: Warmth

**AN:  
**Hello there, beautiful reader.  
Yay! More reading, more reviews! You guys ROCK.  
Read the chapter, important info at the end!

* * *

**Bella's POV**

I was shaken awake. Gently, but purposefully. I opened my eyes unwillingly.

"Bella?" I looked into Jacob's smooth face, which was only inches from mine. It took me a second to remember that I was in Jacob's car, Jacob and I had kissed, and that there was a vampire at my house.

Victoria!

I sat up abruptly. Jacob flinched back, almost knocking faces with me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, fear flooding into me.

Jake smiled. "Yeah, it's fine. Victoria wasn't there. We couldn't find her, but your house is safe."

"Charlie?" I asked. He sighed.

"He's still at the Clearwater's, don't worry."

My fear was replaced with sadness. What an awful array of emotions.

"What should I do?" I asked, and not particularly to Jacob. Just to the world.

"Why don't you stay here?" He said. "Charlie can too. I'll call him. We'll make sure they eat, and then you and Charlie can drive home…with a canine escort, of course."

My lips twitched at the feeble joke. "Okay. Let's go in."

"Hold on," He said. I looked back at him, and he lifted his hand and touched it to my cheek. It ran down to my chin, leaving warmth behind. "Before we see our parents…"

He leaned towards me and I gave up. Why fight this? I had chosen it. I was tired and I didn't want to argue. I should have said, 'Now is not the time to do this, Jacob. Our grieving fathers are waiting for us and I only _just_ made the decision to go through with this.'

But kissing him was actually pretty nice, and I wasn't in the mood to fight. Jacob would just have to learn timing. Edward never would have kissed me at a time like this-

_Edward. _I gasped, and my chest flared in pain. Jake pulled back, looking concerned. I mentally chastised myself-how could I be so stupid? Thinking about him, saying his _name?_ I had been doing so well, I had chosen Jacob!

My arms had unconsciously gone around my torso, and Jacob recognized what was going on. He put his arm around me. "Come on," he said. He helped me out of the car. Once I got my breathing steady and pried my arms off of my chest we began walking. Jake muttered something that sounded like, "Knew I was right."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothin'." He replied. We went into the little house.

Billy must have retreated to his room, because the living room and kitchen were empty. I opened the Black's cabinets.

"You guys don't cook much, huh?"

Jacob shrugged and grinned.

I pulled out a can of black beans and opened the fridge to search for lettuce and tortillas.

"Mexican sound good?" I asked Jacob.

He shrugged. "I don't care, as long as there's plenty for me to eat."

"There's not enough food in this house to keep you full," I joked. Jacob laughed, even though it wasn't very amusing. I smiled and looked for an onion.

We talked aimlessly for a few minutes as I gathered food. Jacob called the Clearwater's and got hold of Charlie, telling him to come over to the Black's when he could. I found a pot to make the beans in.

"So Victoria had left before you guys got to the house?" I asked. Jacob's face took on an expression of stoniness.

"Yeah," He said. "She probably ran off after the two of us left. It makes sense-if she knew I was around she wouldn't want to hang out and wait for us to find her."

There seemed to be something weird about Jacob's story, and the whole pretense he took when telling it.

"Well, where did she go?" I asked him.

"Took off to the north. The trail wasn't too fresh though-she must have left right after we were there. Jared and Paul are following it."

I sighed. "Isn't that dangerous? Just the two of them?"

Jacob scoffed. "Look, Bells, Sam has everything under control. No bloodsucker will get the better of us."

I winced. "Don't call them that."

"Why not? They're leeches."

"Jacob, they're not all bad. Some of them…"

I stepped back from the stove where the beans were cooking. Leaning against the counter, I tried to start breathing normally again. Jacob came next to me and pulled me into a hug.

"Hey," he said. "Chill out. I'm sorry."

Somehow, inexplicably, Jacob's warm body fought off the pain in my chest. The hole shrank, if just an immeasurable bit.

I looked up at Jacob, grateful. I couldn't believe that he had that much power against the pain I had been fighting for so long. Before he had distracted me, made me think of things besides the tenderness. But now he had taken a portion of the hurt away-a tiny morsel, but a morsel still. I could feel my chest swelling, in a good way.

Jacob looked down at me and his face got closer and closer…

"Hey, kids."

Jake and I both gasped and looked up. Billy was sitting there, a sad smile on his face.

"Hey, Dad." Jacob said, slowly and supposedly discreetly moving away from me. Billy noticed, there was no mistaking that.

"Is something burning?" Billy asked.

"Oh no!" I said, turning to the beans, which were smoking. I stirred them with the wooden spoon I'd been using to find that the bottom of them had turned into a blackened mess. "There goes our dinner plans."

I quickly turned the stove off and began putting the burnt beans down the garbage disposal. I cursed under my breath.

"We can just order takeout. How's Chinese sound, Dad?"

Billy shrugged. "Fine. Charlie joining us?"

"Yep," I said.

"I'll be in my room. Get me when the food's here?"

"Sure thing, Dad." Jacob watched his father wheel back through the house. He sighed. "This sucks," He noted.

"No kidding." I replied. "You know the number for the Chinese place?"

Jacob nodded and grabbed the phone. As he dialed and ordered takeout, a sort of numbness settled over me. Not the same numbness that I had lived in for months-not the zombie-like state I had only recently managed to escape from. This lack of sensation was sad and cold. Everything seemed so wrong, so forlorn. Victoria had been at my house. Harry was dead. I couldn't even cook dinner now.

And Jacob and I…I felt like now was not the right time to have made the decision, what with everything going on. Why, why didn't I wait? It's not like I had any pressing reason to do it…

"Bella. Bella?"

I was pulled out of my pensive thinking. "Oh, sorry."

"It's okay. Wanna come with me to pick up the food? We've got to drive into town."

I nodded. He pulled me outside and to his garage. I got into the Rabbit, and he got into the driver's seat. The first couple minutes, as we drove out of La Push, were silent.

I looked out the window, thinking. I knew I had to talk with Jacob. I had chosen to make him happy, but he needed to know everything. I promised myself before we kissed that I would let him know I didn't deserve him, that I was crazy, broken. But when could I tell him all of this?

* * *

Okay, guys.  
This is it. I don't have another full chapter written.  
So it's up to YOU!  
PM me with ideas-all kinds! Rational, crazy! I don't care! I just want the story to keep going! I will give credit where credit is due, and my story will be back on track!  
Do you want the story to stop because YOU didn't do anything? Huh? How would you like that on your consciousness?

Well, I spose that's all for now. I just finished my first day of finals-just two more! I'll work on writing when I'm not studying.

Almost Christmas! Whoopie! I hope you all have happy holidays and heads full of ideas, which you will review/PM me!

Love,  
Jenna(Who loves Hot Air Balloon by Owl City)


	5. Chapter 5: Epitaph

**A/N:  
**Hello! Yes, you heard right-I've come out with another chapter! Thanks to the few of you who messaged and the many who reviewed-you reminded me just why I had to soldier through this story. And I know(er, pretty much) where it's going! Whoo!  
So, without further adieu, the chapter! Epitaph! How many of you know what that means? If you knew it off-hand you get cool points from me :)

* * *

"You okay?" Jacob asked, startling me. "You look…thoughtful."

"Maybe that's because I was thinking," I said, my voice not really into the sarcasm.

His face became more puzzled. I didn't snap at him often. "Seriously, Bells, what's wrong?"

I sighed. "Nothing. You just passed the take-out place." I told him. His head swiveled back to the road.

"Oops," He said, turning around at an intersection.

If he was noticing, I had to tell him soon. This timing was all wrong...but that didn't matter. Once we got back to La Push, I'd get him by himself and talk to him. I sighed as I thought about it.

**Jacob's POV(Thanks to those of you who pointed this out!)**

Bella was acting funny. I tried to think of what could possibly wrong as I drove back to my house. She sat next to me, staring out the window. The bag of food sat on her lap, the smell of chou mein filling the car. I sighed and put my eyes back on the road.

Once we got back to my house, I got out of the car and walked around, opening her door. She looked up at me, and I tried to ignore her expression. I didn't like it.

Instead I picked up the plastic bag with my right hand, and helped her out with my left hand. We walked into the house.

Charlie had arrived. When we walked into the house I peeked into the living room to see my dad and Bella's dad sitting there. That's all. They weren't saying anything or watching TV. They just sat, and seemed completely oblivious to us.

I cleared my throat. They looked up at the same time, their faces started.

"Food's here," I said, lifting up the bag.

"Oh," Charlie said.

And that's all. Before this, the whole thing hadn't really sunk in. But now it did. I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

But then Bella took my hand and said, "Jacob and I are going for a walk."

Our dads nodded. Bella turned and headed for the door. I tried to catch her eye, but couldn't. As we walked out, I set the food on the table.

We headed towards the forest, which I thought was kind of weird. She didn't like the forest much now, due to a couple of factors;

1. That jerk bloodsucker had dumped her there-not to mention left her to wander around.

2. Laurent had cornered her in the forest and nearly killed her. And,

3. Victoria was usually lurking in the forest, as Bella was aware.

So I was surprised when we walked straight towards the trees. We went until we were well into the shade, but in view of the house. At that point Bella dropped my hand and turned around to face me.

Determination. That's what was splayed across her face, what I'd been trying to catch back at the house.

And now it kind of scared me.

Because Bella's stubborn, and because she's a danger magnet. And when you see an unlucky and willful girl looking determined, it usually doesn't end well. Especially for the guy who happens to be in love her, and who-at least for the moment-she appeared to love back.

I swallowed, waiting for her to speak.

She took a deep breath and said, "Look, Jake, we have to talk."

Yeah, she used that. 'We need to talk.' The epitaph of most relationships.

And damn, we'd only just kissed today!

"About what?" I asked. Maybe it was something completely different.

Bella looked away for a second. "About _us_."

Okay, so much for being something different.

"How come?" I asked.

"Because…" She wasn't meeting my eyes. What the hell was going on? "…well, I need to tell you some stuff. Some things you deserve to know. I think," She looked at me now. "We should be totally honest."

_Shit,_ I thought. She knew about the Cullen being at her house, and she wanted me to tell her. But how had she known? I thought for a split second, and then remembered what Bella had just said. _She_ wanted to tell stuff to _me_. Now I was confused.

"Wait-you need to tell me things?"

She nodded. "Before you, you know, decide to…_be_ with me-"

"Bells, I already-"

"Jake, wait." She said. So I shut up.

"There's just some stuff…Okay. See, Jake, you're much too good for me. You're-I said _quiet_, Jacob-you're my favorite person in the whole wide world, and you deserve someone equally amazing. I'm broken-you know that. I'm a mess and my heart is broken and I'm hardly capable of going through the day-but you're the one person who changed that. And it's not _right_ that you should love me back so much, because you could do way better. You could-shh!-you could be with someone whole and beautiful and normal-Jacob, shut up!-because I'm not those things. I'm…well, I'm crazy."

I scoffed. "Yeah, crazy to think I wouldn't _want_ you. Sheesh, Bella. It's not like I'm going to just leave you. You know what I've wanted all along."

Bella looked down. "No, it's not that-I really _am_ crazy, Jacob."

"What are you _talking_ about?" I asked, puzzled.

I could see her cheeks turning red. She kept her eyes on her feet as she said, "Well, I, um, I kind of…hear voices."

"_Voices?_" I asked.

She cleared her throat. "Just, um, just one, actually. Sometimes…" She took a deep breath, and then spoke very fast, as if to get it over with. "Sometimes when I was doing something stupid or reckless I'd hear _his_ voice telling me to stop and that's why I kept doing stuff like the bikes and cliff-diving because when I heard his voice it didn't hurt and it made me feel like he cared about me."

It was quiet for a second. Then I said, "What?"

When she looked back up at me, she was blushing profusely. "Don't make me repeat it," She said to me.

"I just…" I had absolutely no idea what to say. "_That's_ why you brought me the bikes?"

She nodded very quickly. "But then, Jake, I got to know _you_, and…well, even if all we'd done was play Go Fish I would have stayed, because you made me happy."

"So you were happy with me?"

"Yes."

"But then you jumped off a cliff." My tone was skeptical.

She swallowed. "Well, yeah. I mean, I was worried about you and I was feeling really lonely and I thought hearing him might help…"

I looked at her. Really looked. And even though what I was hearing was, to say the least, disconcerting, I couldn't look at her and make myself mad. I couldn't be hurt that she still wanted a vampire to care about her-because I was just so dang happy she loved me back.

I took a breath. "Well," I said. "Whatever. You chose me, right? That's all that matters to me."

She frowned. "But Jake-"

"Bella," I told her, stepping closer. "Shut up."

And then I kissed her. And it was the best one yet.

* * *

Admit it. You loved it.  
And since you've acknowledged it, go ahead and put it in writing...in a review!  
Yes, I am shamelessly promoting my story. Care to help?

I've got random Beatles music floating through my head. I got Beatles Rockband for Christmas and have been playing nonstop since! What'd you get for Christmas? Or Hannukah. Or, um...whatever. Yay for holidays!

Love, Jenna!


	6. Chapter 6: The Note

**A/N:  
**I know, right? Another chapter, so soon? I should get an award.  
Or just a lot fo really great reviews ;)  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Bella's POV**

When I got home that night, all I wanted to do was crash. The stress-emotional and physical-that was weighing on me was hard to stand. Things were relatively good, however, for once in my life.

Charlie and I drove home separately, since both of our cars were in La Push. I got home a minute before him, so I was the one who walked in, turned on the lights and looked around. Not that I was expecting anything. Jacob had assured me before we left that the wolves would be all over my house tonight-after the close call that afternoon, they weren't leaving anything to chance. This comforted me greatly, though I prayed Victoria wouldn't come back. However, this wish had been uttered so many times, it was really a waste of thought.

Hope springs eternal.

I walked up the stairs once I peeked into the living room and kitchen. Once I got to my room, I could tell something was different. I froze. As far as I could tell, no one was _in_ the room. I took a step forward, cautiously. Then it hit me.

The faintest of smells was in my room. I could hardly discern it from the Glade room fragrance plugged into my outlet. But it was definitely there.

And it made my heart speed up at the same time it made my chest ache.

Then I turned my head and noticed that my bedspread was nicely laid over my bed, and underneath the sheets must have been perfectly tucked in.

That was not the way I left it.

But I couldn't imagine Victoria _making my bed_. No, that couldn't be.

Right in the middle of my impeccable bed was a folded piece of paper. I stood for a second, hearing Charlie move around downstairs. Then I took a breath of that scent, and stepped forward, snatching the paper up and opening it.

_Bella,_

_I came here because I saw something horrible. I saw you try to kill yourself. These claims, however, have been rebuked. And sure enough, when I calmed down enough to concentrate, I could see you, rather clearly, reading this note._

_Let me start with this: JUMPING off a CLIFF? You are insane. I have never met a crazier, more idiotic person in my life._

_Yet I love you, we all do, and I'm so grateful you are alive._

_Secondly-I'm very disappointed in the company you seem to be keeping. Werewolves, Bella, are volatile, unstable creatures whom should be avoided at all possible costs. I do not know what drew you to them, but I suggest you remove yourself from them now, and keep your friends within one species-no, I mean humans._

_I wish I could see you-so badly. But I dare not interfere, for the consequence would be my brother's wrath, something you and I both know to avoid. Just know that I love you, Bella, and that I am often thinking of you._

_-Alice_

By the time I read through it four times, there were tears in my eyes. Alice-oh, _Alice._ She had been here. _Here!_ In my house, and I had been off frolicking in La Push. I couldn't believe it.

Then another thought struck me, one besides awful regret. I remembered that Victoria had been here. And Alice had been here soon after…wouldn't she have done something, if she knew Victoria was back? Or perhaps Alice came before…but would Victoria have simply left the note be? It didn't seem very true to her character.

The whole thing was awfully confusing. It just didn't add up. And until I knew, I wouldn't be able to sleep easy. If Victoria had somehow gotten in without Alice's knowing, it was something to worry about. And after today, I didn't think I could sleep with something _more_ to worry about.

I went downstairs. Charlie wasn't around-he must have been in his room. Which made my job easier.

The phone rang six times. I was about to hang up when Jacob picked it up.

"Hello?" He was out of breath.

"Jake!" I said.

"Bella? What's up?"

"Well…see, um…Alice was in my house. Alice Cullen. While we were gone. And if she _and_ Victoria were here, but didn't notice eachother…well, isn't there something fishy about that?"

The other side of the phone was quiet for a second. "A Cullen? At your place?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah. She left me a note."

More silence. Then, "Well, maybe it was Victoria. Who left the note. She might have been pretending to be Alice so she could trap you, or something."

"No…" I said. "That can't be it. Her note…it was definitely Alice. Victoria wouldn't know about her powers-you know, seeing the future."

Jacob sighed. "That is weird. I don't know. What else did the note say?"

"Um," I said. "Well, she knew about the pack…which is weird. How would she know about you?"

"Um," Jake said, sounding funny. "I don't know. That is weird. Look, I gotta go on patrol, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"But warn the others about this," I said. "If Alice can slip through your cracks, Victoria could too."

I hadn't thought of that until I said it, and it made me shudder.

"Don't worry, Bells. We'll keep you safe."

"Okay, bye." I said.

Jacob hung up without saying goodbye.

And that, I swear, was one of the weirdest things.

* * *

Ooh, will Bella find out Jacob lied to her? What will that do to their newfound relationship? Will Bella want Edward back? Or will Victoria come and kill Bella before anything love-related happens?

"Let me ask you something, buddy. What's a world-famous entomologist supposed to do when the university cuts off funding for his lab? Huh?"..."Ask rhetorical questions that make people uncomfortable?"

I'm a writing _machine_. Expect another chapter soon!

If you review, that is. o.o I'm watching you.

Love, Jenna


	7. Chapter 7: Forever?

Hey!  
Don't even start. I know I took forever. Maybe SOMEONE didn't get enough reviews.

Or maybe they were lazy and busy. Anyway, without further adieu, Chapter Seven!

* * *

4 weeks later

"Jacob, quit it!" I said, giggling.

He laughed too, but didn't stop tickling me.

"This-isn't-fair!" I yelled, trying and failing to push him away.

He held me tight around the waist then, and pulled me closer to him. "Sorry," he whispered.

"You'd better be," I told him, though we both knew it was an empty threat.

We sat there, on the roots of the old beach tree, for a couple seconds. We watched the ocean while I caught my breath. Then Jacob stood, bringing me with him. He took my hand and said, "Come on."

We picked our way through the rocks and began to walk along the beach. The sun was barely peeking through the gray clouds that covered the sky. Jacob's radiating heat kept me warm.

It had been about a month that we'd been doing this couple thing. Honestly, it wasn't very different than when we had just been friends. Well, except for the kissing. That was new…and nice. Despite my misgivings, I really didn't have any regrets about choosing to love Jacob in _that_ way.

"So, Bells," Jake said, bringing me back to the present. We were nearer to his house now. I looked up at his brown face and asked, "What?"

He seemed nervous, which was strange. But before he could speak we heard someone yell, "Jake!"

We looked up. Embry was standing further up the beach. Per usual, he was wearing only a pair of ragged jean shorts.

"Yeah?" Jacob called back.

"Sam's calling a meeting, pronto!" Embry replied.

Jacob groaned. He kissed my forehead and then said, "I'll call you, okay? I want to talk."

Then he turned and ran to Embry. Together they headed inland towards the forest.

When I got home I did some homework and filled out a couple college applications. I had missed a lot of deadlines, having been busy and whatnot. It wasn't until about a week after Harry's funeral that Charlie snapped back into the real world and got on my case about it. At this point I'd be lucky if I got into Peninsula Community College.

Charlie came home and badgered me about the mentioned applications while I cooked dinner. After we finished the pasta, I went up into my room. I emailed Renee and read for a while. I tried not to think about it, but I knew I was waiting for Jake to call. Unpredictable as he is, he usually called the same _day_ he said he would.

Eventually I must have dropped off to sleep, because the next thing I knew, I was dreaming.

_I stood in the backyard, looking around. I kept hearing voices. Jacob's voice, actually. I couldn't make out what he was saying. I heard it and turned-then it was behind me. I heard him say my name. "Jake!" I yelled, but my voice was just as quiet as his. My head whipping around, I wished I could see him, be near him._

_Then he was in front of me, in wolf-form. He blocked my view of what was in front of me. He growled, and I tried to see around him. No matter which way I moved, he blocked me. I wanted to see what was in front of us so badly…_

I opened my eyes and clutched my covers. I was pretty sure I was awake. I had heard a noise and regardless of Jacob's reassurance there hadn't been a single night this month I hadn't feared Victoria.

Then I heard the sound that had wakened me again.

_Ring!_

I let out a sigh of relief. It was the phone. Then my eyes flickered to my alarm clock, to see that it was four in the morning. I kicked off my sheets and went downstairs as quietly as I could. Once in the kitchen, I stubbed my toe terribly before locating the phone, so it was through bared teeth I answered.

"Hello?"

"Bella? It's Jacob."

"Jake? Why are you calling this early?"

"Damn," he said. "What time is it? I just got off patrol."

I shook my head, trying to clear the grogginess. "It's four. What do you need?"

"Um, I know it's way early and this is kind of crazy, but could you come down to La Push?"

I stood for a minute, then looked down at my sweats and tank top. "Now?" I asked.

He inhaled. "Yeah. Please, Bells? It's important."

Something in his voice made me say, "Okay. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Jacob sighed happily. "I'll wait in front of the house."

So I found myself, five minutes later, in my truck, wearing a coat over my PJ's. I had left Charlie a note in case he woke up. Thankfully it was Sunday, so I didn't have to worry about school. I wondered what had been so utterly important that Jacob had needed to see me right away. His voice hadn't sounded scared or sad over the phone, but that didn't stop me from worrying.

Finally I made it to the reservation, and managed to navigate my way to the Black's house. I could see Jacob's large figure standing in front of the door. As I parked, he began to walk towards my truck.

I got out and went to meet him. It had begun to drizzle, which woke me up a little more. When Jacob and I reached eachother he hugged me.

"I'm really sorry about this, Bella. But I'm going back out with the pack as soon as I can, and I needed to talk to you."

I was going to comment on how hard Sam was working him, but my curiosity got the best of me. "Talk to me about what?" I asked.

He sighed and pulled back, keeping his hands on my shoulders. "Well, about us. I just wanted to…ask you something."

I stared at him. "Go ahead."

He took a deep breath. "Do you love me?" He asked.

"Of course," I replied without thinking.

"But do you love me-_love_ me-like more than a friend?"

I looked at him. "Yes."

He smiled, but he hadn't let his breath out. "I love you too, Bells."

"I know," I responded.

"And then-there's something else." He said.

"What?"

"It's just that-" He looked down, and then met my eyes again. "I know you love me, but I'm sort of afraid that's not enough. Sometimes I think that he'll come back, or that some other beautiful bloodsucker will walk by and you'll run away with him. So I just…I wanted some reassurance."

"Jacob," I started. He ignored me.

"I'm not asking you to marry me, or anything." My breath caught on the word 'marry', and I slowly let it out. Jacob continued. "But I just want some sort of promise. So could you just tell me-just let me know that you're planning to stick around? And maybe, you know, forever?"

Forever had a whole different meaning than it used to.

Instead of pointing this out, I sighed and then smiled. "Jacob, what we have is more than high school sweethearts, or whatever. And I don't plan on leaving you-but what about you? What if you imprint on somebody? Then what?"

Jake shook his head. "No way, Bella. There is no one that will ever be on this planet that I will want as much as you. You're my only shot. So can you tell me I'm the same thing for you?"

I exhaled. "Yeah," I told him. "I'm gonna stick around."

He grinned so widely then, he looked like a cartoon. He pulled me close and crushed me in a wolf-hug.

"Okay, I've got to go," he said. "You can crash on my bed, okay? Charlie won't mind. Love you." He kissed me quickly and then ran for the forest. I watched him go, and then let myself into his house.

Denali

Alice gasped, her eyes going blank. Jasper was at her side in a second. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Alice sat for a second more, staring out into nothing. Then she was back. "Bella," she gasped. "Her whole future-it just…disappeared."

Then Alice realized what she had just said. Jasper and her turned their heads to Edward. He was there for one of his occasional visits. "Edward-" Jasper began.

But before anything else could be said, Edward grabbed his car keys and went out the door. Alice jumped up, but they heard the engine rev and the car drove away. Jasper and Alice stood still for a second.

"What just happened?" Carlisle asked, walking into the kitchen.

Jasper turned to Alice. "How could that be?" he asked.

Alice shook her head slowly. "It was such a shock. I wasn't paying attention to her, but all the sudden she was gone. Her whole future, wiped. I assumed the worse. The truth isn't much better, however…"

"Alice, what are you talking about?" Jasper asked.

"The werewolves. I can't see them. She must have just decided to stay with them, or something. But I just blurted it out, and Edward was right there…"

"Couldn't he have read your mind?" Carlisle asked.

"He didn't need to," Alice said. "He doesn't know about anything that would end her future besides death. And now he's already to far away to catch. He's going to Forks."

* * *

Aw snap. Edward's coming to town.

And that's not even the half of it. Next chapter is so exciting! But in order for me to post it I need readers...

I love everyone who reads this, by the way. You ROCK. Now rock a little bit more by reviewing/telling your friends.

"We don't even know you but we were talking about your abs. Kinda creepy, huh?"  
Good times, good times.

One more week! 1000 cool points if you know what amazing thing is happening on Feb. 12th. Word Shaker, you've already tipped the cool scale, so don't even try.

Until next time, Love!

Jenna


	8. Chapter 8: The Fight

I'm on fire!  
Not really. It was a metaphor. I meant I'm writing chapters really fast.  
I thought about waiting another day to post this, since I just posted a chapter. But then I remembered all the reviews and Story faves and Alert adds and realized that you guys so deserve this.  
So read on!

* * *

I was lying in Jacob's bed, half-asleep. Probably more-I was three-quarters-asleep. I had fallen into unconsciousness easily enough after Jake left. His bed was old and comfortable. I wasn't sure what time it was now, but some voices had partly woken me up.

"…awesome. Finally, we won't…Sam on our backs…night."

"I know. My mom…pissed about all…doing. Now we…rest easy."

It wasn't making much sense. I wondered if I was still dreaming.

"..no more vamps on our agenda." The voice got a bit louder.

"Except maybe the Cullens."

"Nah, they're not coming back."

"I dunno, that black-haired one drove into Forks pretty easily."

"She was worried about Bella, or something."

"When _aren't_ they worried about Bella? I'm telling you, those bloodsuckers could drive into town whenever they wanted and reclaim their territory."

"When Jake talked to the Cullen it seemed like she wasn't planning on coming back."

"Those leeches are sneaky bastards, and good actors. You never know."

"Ah, crap. I see my mom. Seeya, Jared."

"Bye, Quil."

I heard receding footsteps.

I was completely awake at this point.

Had I just heard what I thought I had? Did the wolves really see Alice when she was at my house? And did Jacob…_talk_ to her? And not tell me? Why would he do that?

Five minutes later, the door to the tiny room opened slowly, and Jacob's head popped in. His eyes widened when he saw me sitting up. My expression might have had something to do with it too.

"Morning, Bells. Something wrong?"

He moved completely in the room, and closed the door behind him. Cool air blew in the open window which I had heard Quil and Jared's voices through.

"Yeah, something's wrong." My voice was surprisingly calm. "I hear that you knew Alice was in town? Even had a little chat with her, didn't you? And you just _forgot_ to mention this to me?"

Jake just stared at me, as if I'd started speaking Chinese or something.

"Wha-How did you find out?"

"It doesn't matter!" I yelled, standing up. I heard shuffling from somewhere in the house. "What matters is that you didn't tell me!"

"But, Bella-why would you want to know?"

I looked at him incredulously. "Because Alice is my friend! I love her, and I've missed her like crazy!"

Jacob's face changed. He was no longer surprised, he was angry. "Bella, I think we both know you're not talking about Alice."

I choked on my words then. How dare he? "Of course I am! Jacob, not everything revolves around you and _him_!"

He shook his head. "This is exactly what I meant this morning, Bella. If you're so eager to see them, what's holding you to me?"

"I _love_ you, you moron!" I yelled in a very unloving way.

"But not as much as them," he muttered.

"You're sure not making it _easy_, Jacob Black!"

He stared at me. "I don't get it, Bella."

"You _lied_ to me! That's the problem here!" I said. I felt like pulling my hair out.

"She was only here because she thought you'd died."

"Yeah, because she cares about me!" I told him.

"Right. She was probably just coming for the funeral. See if she could take a doggie bag home for the family."

I was so enraged I couldn't say anything. Instead I pushed my way past him ungracefully and stumbled out into the hallway. As I walked by the living room, Billy looked up and said, "Bella-?"

"I think perhaps you should know," I said to him, and then raised my voice. "That your son is a lying jerk!"

Then I stormed out and got into my truck. I started the engine, pulled out, and pressed the gas pedal until my whole truck moaned. I slowed down but punched my steering wheel, mostly just hurting my own hand. I made it home in record time.

Jacob's POV

I made it into the kitchen in a matter of steps-but Bella had already gone. I watched her truck disappear down the road and swore.

"Jake…" I heard Billy say. Bella's last words echoed through my head. I turned to him and said, "Don't jump to conclusions, Dad."

Then I walked past him and collapsed on the couch. He wheeled around so he was facing me. "What happened?"

I sighed. I wanted to punch a pillow. "She found out about the Cullen."

He raised his eyebrow. "What Cullen?"

"The one that came to her house the day Harry died. I just told her Victoria came. I didn't want Bella involved with the vampires."

"And she didn't appreciate the thought, I assume."

I didn't reply.

"You just gonna let her go?" He asked me.

"She doesn't want to see me. And she doesn't need my protection anymore."

Billy looked at me with an unasked question.

"We got her. Victoria's dead."

Billy's eyebrows rose and he whistled. "Took you long enough."

"She got fed up and just went for the gold. She had another vamp with her who tried to distract us. It was easy enough when it came to face-to-face combat."

Billy nodded. Then he added, "Doesn't mean she doesn't need your protection."

Then, without further explanation, he wheeled off to his room. I stared after him and then finally hit that pillow.

My day turned out to be pretty goddang miserable. I crashed for a while since I'd slept, oh, eight hours in the past three days. I woke up around two, after which I ate and did homework, which sucked. Billy basically told me if I didn't drive to Forks and talk to Bella I had to do schoolwork. I don't know what had gotten into him, since he's usually pretty easygoing.

I really didn't want to see Bella just then, however. The things she'd said that morning had begun to really sting. Not the things she _had_ said, actually-the things she'd implied. She was a vamp-lover, through and through. And it looked like there was nothing I could do about it.

She hadn't even given me the chance to tell her Victoria was gone. Whatever. She could still be afraid, for all I cared.

That evening I had nothing to do. I found myself walking around La Push feeling sorry for myself. Everyone else was out celebrating, and those who had imprinted were with their soul mates. I didn't feel like celebrating. I felt like ripping up more vampires, but unfortunately, we were now in short supply.

Bella's POV

My day was pretty much dismal. I got home around ten, to find Charlie awake and waiting for me. He asked what had happened.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Dad."

"Bella, you can't leave in the middle of the night with no explanation and then not want to talk about it."

"There was an explanation, I left a note."

"What on _earth_ did you need to go to La Push for?"

I sighed. "Jake wanted to talk. Then he let me sleep on the couch so I didn't have to drive back."

Charlie stared at me for a minute. "What's wrong?"

"Jake and I got into a fight this morning."

Charlie's face was calculating. He was trying to decide whether to ask or not. I saved him the trouble.

"But I really don't want to talk about it, okay? I'm just going to go upstairs."

Charlie didn't stop me as I walked past him.

Once I my room I opened the drawer to my bed-side table and pulled out a worn piece of paper. I read Alice's note for the thousandth time, but this time it meant something different. I folded it up and put it back, trying not to cry. That damn werewolf.

What good was Jacob, anyway? He was just an overgrown puppy who gallivanted around the forest, supposedly 'protecting' me. A whole lot of good he'd done. It had been over a month and I still had homicidal vampires after me.

And then he just goes and insults people I love. Real suave move. I didn't need him.

Then I sighed. Of course I did. He was my best friend. And even more than that, I loved him. Why did he have to make it so hard? He had nearly healed me, and then he just rips open my wounds again. I couldn't understand him.

I settled in for a long, depressing day, and that's just what I got.

* * *

OMG. Not all is well in Jacob-And-Bella Land!  
Will Jacob and Bella make up? Will Edward get to her first? Will Jenna stop asking rhetorical, nerve-wracking questions?  
I'm really excited to write more. I love these parts of stories! However, my computer is being retarded and not letting me open my documents, so I'm going to have to find a way around that...

By the way, February 12th has nothing to do with Twilight. It's when the most epic movie ever, The Lightning Thief, is coming out!

I have a dare for you. Double dare, so you can't chicken out. Tell two of your friends about this story. Or just post the link on you Facebook/Myspace/Twitter. I'll love you forever. If I get like, 500 readers in a day I'll...I dunno. I'll have a contest or something. It'll be awesome.

Anyway, you're amazing! Review!

Love, Jenna


	9. Chapter 9: Desicion

Bang, Bang, Bang! Three in a row.  
Now, READ THIS before you jump into the story, though I know you're just aching to read what happens next, right?  
So, basically, I have 3500 hits on this story. And I've decided that if I can get 4000 by Wednesday, I'll have a contest thing. I have a really good idea for what it's gonna be-someone's gonna be in on the last chapter, and they're gonna help write it and MAYBE even be a part of it. If this sounds at all interesting to you, send me a message!

So keep visiting the story and tell your friends. Now...The chapter!!!

* * *

I was dreaming normally that night when suddenly something changed. I sat up and opened my eyes. I felt very awake. I looked around my room to see what might have woken me.

Then my eyes locked on something standing at the foot of my bed. Something tall and pale-white. I gasped in fear. This was it, this was the end, I was going to die-

"Bella?"

My fear turned down and made way for puzzlement. That was _not_ Victoria's voice. It was a male voice.

"Bella, it's really you." His voice was husky. Then the figure leaned forward so the moonlight from my open window fell onto his face, throwing it into sharp relief.

I gasped again.

Edward backed up. "I'm sorry," he said, his silky voice still a bit heavy.

"This is so strange," I said.

"I know, I'm so sorry, I just had to-"

I didn't let him finish. "I haven't dreamed about you in ages. Even the nightmare hasn't come around since Jake."

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw Edward's eyebrow go up. "Excuse me?" He asked.

"My nightmare. I haven't had it in weeks." I said.

His eyes became hooded. "You had a nightmare about me?"

I almost laughed. "No, not about you. About you being gone. I wandered through the forest…anyway, I haven't had it in a couple weeks."

Edward stood there, thinking. I decided I should speak up. "This is odd though. Why are we talking about it?"

Edward seemed confused by my question. "Hmm?"

"A dream where I'm talking about dreams. How peculiar." I said. It really was one of the strangest dreams I'd ever had. And I seem to specialize in weird dreams.

"Bella…"

I shook my head. "It's the strangest thing to hear you say my name. Well, I guess not…" I thought back to my hallucinations. "But you're not mad, and you're saying my name. It's nice to hear. You're finally not mad at me."

"Bella, I was never mad."

I smiled. "Oh, yes you were. Those motorcycles drove you crazy. And the cliff? You were pissed about that. But you kept coming back…" I trailed off, remembering.

"Motorcycles? Cliff? Bella, what on _earth_?"

I looked at him in puzzlement. "You know, you were there. I assume my dream-Edward and my vision-Edward are the same. It would be so strange if they were separate…how many Edwards can my head contain?"

Dream-Edward had a very confused look on his face. I wondered what was wrong with him. Couldn't he just let me enjoy this dream?

**Jacob's POV**

"Jake, wake up! Dude, come on!"

I rolled over, away from whoever was bugging me.

"Jake, you moron, get up! We need you!"

I opened my eyes to see Embry over me. "What the hell, man?" I asked him.

"Let's go. There's a vamp in Forks."

Let me tell you, _that_woke me up. I was following Embry out the window about ten seconds later. We ran to the forest and phased.

_Jake, you're here!_Quil said.

_What's going on?_ I asked. Sam spoke up.

_Paul was wandering around when he caught a trail. A vampire's in Forks. You guys ready?_

We all agreed, and began running. We met up as we ran. Paul was describing the place he found it. We reached it.

_Wait,_ Jared said. _This is along the road. Could that mean…_

_One of the Cullens, _Sam said.

We followed the path that, sure enough, went along the road. As it kept going, my heart sank. I could tell exactly where it was headed.

Slowly, the rest of the guys tuned into my thoughts. The trail was heading towards the Swans'.

We got to the house, and sure enough, a silver car was parked in the driveway. Unanimously. I was chosen to go see what was going on.

I phased and pulled my pajama pants on. I walked up to the house. I was going to go through the front door, but then I looked up and noticed something.

Bella's window was open.

Sighing, I decided I'd have to reenact the scene I'd made weeks ago, when I'd tried to tell Bella about being a wolf.

I climbed the tree. It was quiet in the room besides Bella's breathing. I managed to get up. Then I took a deep breath, and jumped into the dark room.

I got in better than last time. I stood up and looked around. Bella was sitting up in her bed, and-who else?-Edward was standing at the foot.

"Graceful," The vampire said, referring to my entry.

"We can't all be ballerinas," I sneered.

Then he turned to Bella and said, "May I ask who else climbs in through your window at night?"

I turned to Bella. The expression on her face was complete confusion. I wondered what had happened in the room before I'd arrived.

"I…Jake?" She said.

"I'm here, Bells. What's up?"

"What…why are you here?"

I sighed. "Because _he's_ here." I nodded towards the leech stinking up her room.

"But, but…"

I walked past the vampire and sat next to her on her bed. I put my hand over hers. "You okay, Bells?"

"I...I guess." She took her hand away, which stung. I guess she was still mad about our fight.

"But, it's just…I'm awake, aren't I?"

I laughed. "As far as I can tell."

She turned her head then, and looked at Edward. "Then what…what are you _doing_ here?"

"I came because…I thought you had died." He said. There was pain in his voice.

I actually thought it was kind of funny, in a weird way. This was the second time Bella had been presumed dead in a month. That's got to be a record, right?

"So you just decided to pop in?" I asked him.

He looked down. "I had to know," he said.

Bella reached towards him then. "Edward, I…"

She touched his arm. I flinched, remembering how much she loved him.

However, the vamp took a step back. He cast a glance at me. "Mind giving us some privacy?" He asked.

"No way in hell," I replied.

He shook his head, and then turned to Bella. "I guess I'll just say it anyway. Bella, I'm not a dream. I'm really here. I came because I thought you had died…but I had ulterior motives. I came because…I really couldn't stand to be away from you any longer."

I don't know what Bella was feeling, but I was totally shocked. Not to mention angry.

"Bella, I love you. I always have, and I always will. I lied to you when I left, and it seems as though you believed me. I don't know how…not after everything we went through. But if there's any way you'll have me back, I'd take it in a second. I will get down on my knee and beg if I have to. I might understand if you've…" He looked at me, "moved on. But I desperately hope you haven't. I don't think I can say anything else-only await your decision."

I stared at him. Then I turned to Bella. What had been anger was now despair. If he was saying he wanted her back, if she could just go back with her beloved vampire and live happily ever after…

Bella turned to me. Then she looked at him. Then back at me. Time seemed to slow down.

Who was she going to pick?

* * *

Eek! I hope you're excited as I am. This chapter was crazy!

I think I'll have two more chapters of this story. Then it's done, finished, kaput. I really hope you guys like the end! And I hope you're interested enough that you'll tell your friends about this story, and you'll want to participate in my contest thing. I will love you all forever if you help me out with this!

"What are we doing today?"  
"It's the Superbowl."  
"...yeah, so what are we doing today?"  
It is NOT un-American to not like football!

I love you all, now do you love me? PM me.

Jenna


	10. Chapter 10:Choice

Okay. Deep breaths.  
It's time. Time for her to choose. This could be the end.  
It's definitely the end for someone. But who?

**

* * *

**

**Bella's POV**

What was happening?

I was sure I was awake, because Jake sat next to me, his heat reaching me. I could feel the light breeze from my open window. I felt tired, and you never feel tired in a dream. I was definitely awake.

Then again, Edward was standing there, in my room. Edward Cullen. Not only was he _there_, he was saying he loved me. Loved me? Edward Cullen did not love me, I knew this. So what was he saying? Clearly I was dreaming.

But how could I be awake and asleep simultaneously?

I turned my head from Edward to Jacob, trying to process.

Then a particularly large gust of wind came through the window, really wakening me.

That's when it hit me.

I looked at Edward's pleading face, then Jacob's hopeless expression. They were waiting for me to choose.

Now? How could I choose now?

It shouldn't even be a choice, right? I had chosen Jacob weeks ago. But…that had been when Edward was gone, only a far-off dream. Now that he was here, in my room, it changed things. Didn't it?

I was so confused. Why now? It was…I looked at my clock. Near five AM! I'm making a life-altering decision before the sun has risen!

"I don't…" My voice was unsteady. "Now?" I asked.

Edward stepped forward quickly. Jacob tensed. "Of course, you don't have to choose now," Edward said. "You can take time, that's fine."

Then, to my surprise, Jacob spoke up. "No," He said, in a very wolf-like growl. "I think she should choose now."

I was speechless. I couldn't believe it, but it looked like I was going to have to do this. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Edward…oh, _Edward._ He was my first love. The person I would always compare to my Romeo. He seemed like the perfect man. My dream boy. Where would I be without him? Safer, perhaps, but that wouldn't be worth it. He would always represent my forever. He had been my chance to get everlasting love. Why would I give that up?

Well…he had given _me_ up. No surprise, really. Why would someone so perfect want me? Even as an immortal, I couldn't measure up to him. Could I live like that? Could I die like that? With someone who always put us out of balance?

And then there was that chance he would change his mind again. He'd love someone else, someone more perfect. Or he'd simply get bored with me. Where would that leave me?

And then, Jacob. My personal sun. He had protected me when no one else would. He had brought me back to life. He was my best friend, and now he was more than that. He loved me, and he always would. I was sure of that.

But he had lied to me. He had kept that information, vital to me, hidden. How could he not tell me Alice was here?

And then, I had a burst of intuition. I don't know where it came from. Suddenly, I saw things Jacob's point of view.

To Jake, the Cullens had left me. And they had left me a zombie. I knew it wasn't their fault, but how could Jacob? And perhaps, to him, Alice meant Edward. If I got in touch with one of them, I would go back to all of them. It was illogical, but I could understand why Jacob might have thought that. He had only lied because he cared about me.

And then I realized that that made the choice clear. Still extremely difficult; but clear.

Edward was unstable, unattainable. He might be there one day, and gone the next.

Jacob was forever…a different forever. A _human_ forever. He would never stop loving me, even after we died. And the small fight we were in now didn't make a difference. He would always look out for me.

"I…" I began. I tried to figure out how to word this. "I love you both. So much. Without you…I don't know. But you're my favorite two people in the world."

They were both staring at me. I gulped and went on.

"But…I can't choose someone who won't stay by me."

They both looked hopeful. I needed to elaborate.

"I need someone…who will never leave me. And who never has."

Then I turned and buried my face in Jacob's shoulder. He hugged me.

But he couldn't protect me from the sound Edward made. I couldn't describe it-but I hope you never have to hear such a sound. It was feral-a sound of pure pain. I couldn't bring myself to look up at his face.

After a moment, Edward spoke.

"That's fair, though it wasn't my desired outcome. Bella, I-I'll leave now. I won't come back. And just know…I won't forget you."

Then I heard the slightest of creaks, and I knew Edward was gone. I began to cry, and Jacob rubbed my back.

"It's over," He said. "Don't worry. It's all over."

And I knew he was right.

* * *

Well..is it really any surprise?

I mean, come on. It's a pro-Jacob story.

But, anyway...what'd you think? Review, please!

"Are you a friend of Connor's?"  
"Yeah, I'm the one he fake made out with at the Comedy Sportz show."  
"Oh! That's how I know you!"

One more chapter. It'll be a good one, I promise.

Love, Jenna


	11. Epilogue

The time has come.  
I'm sad. My story's done! I'll miss you guys so much! :(

But I know you want to read the last chapter. It's a fast-forward, and it's pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.  
So go ahead, and I'll do an official thank-you at the end ;)

* * *

"Hey," Jacob said, catching me around the waist. "I'm home."

Grinning, I left the onions I was sauteing alone for a moment. I turned around to kiss him.

"Ew!"

We turned, Jacob laughing. A child with wide eyes, soft brown hair and mocha-colored skin had walked into the kitchen, and was wearing a disgusted expression.

"Mommy," The little boy addressed me. "Why do you and Daddy _do_ that?"

I started to laugh as Jacob let me go and walked over to him, ruffling his hair. "Someday, Dakota, you'll understand."

"I don't _want_ to!" Dakota insisted. I laughed.

"Don't worry," I told him. "It won't be for quite a while. Now go get your sister, I think she's on the porch with Lee. Tell her dinner's almost ready."

Dakota nodded and headed towards the front door, his skinny frame bouncing. I turned off the heat on the onions and pulled four plates out of the oak cupboard above the sink. I walked into the dining room, where Jacob was sitting.

"How was your day?" I asked him as I laid out the plates on the table.

Jake sighed and ran his hand through his close-cropped, dark hair. "It was a mess."

I made a sympathetic face. "Andrew?" I asked, referring to a coworker of his. He nodded, rolling his eyes.

I patted his shoulder as I passed by him to get napkins. "You've been through worse," I told him.

"Don't I know it," he replied. "So have you."

I smiled at him. "It was worth it."

His face finally brightened. "Definitely."

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Then we heard children clamoring in, and I went to get the pasta.

We finally all sat down around the table.

"Mommy, I don't _like_ onions!" Adelle said in a whiny voice.

"You liked them last week," I reminded her.

"No, I didn't!" She insisted. Six-year-olds got to claim selective memory. Sighing, I got up and took her plate to get her some pasta without onions.

I washed off the plate and looked up at a picture on the wall, one I saw often. It had been taken about a year after Jacob graduated. We were on the beach in La Push, holding hands. My hair was whipping around in the wind, and I was laughing at something. Jacob was looking at me, a serene expression on his face. My free hand was holding my stomach, which was round and large with what would eventually be Dakota. I remembered that my mom had been there for the baby shower, and she had taken the picture with her new, state-of-the-art camera. Photography, at the time, had been the phase she was in. It had been a great week, before Jake and I went down into Oregon to buy the house. It was a goodbye, a curtain call for my life in Forks.

But I had begun a new one. And I didn't regret a second of it.

* * *

Thank you so much, everyone who's reading this. I'm going to do some special thank yous, but even if I don't mention you, I'm super grateful!

lilybetrox-first review! Thanks :)  
jacob black rulez, Hyvanna, nipponophile, AnimeiaAzraela, and twinkledee-You guys reviewed so much! I really appreciate that you kept up with the story and always gave me more advice and praise. You rock!  
KittyHakubi-So many reviews! Thanks! And I really did want to have a shouting match between Bella and Edward, but it didn't fit into the story. :(  
yesiluvthestage-You agreed that I deserved reviews. That made me so happy.  
Sarah Brome-You contacted me, and you have awesome ideas. You'll write some great fanfics!  
JacobBlackFanWereWolf-I'm sorry about your bad day, and I was so psyched that something I wrote could make you feel better.  
aNa HeaRt'S vAmPIrEs 4EVER and AnimeiaAzraela-Percy Jackson is amazing! What'd you think of the movie? Oh, and super-thanks for reviewing!  
lifesuxthnudie-You put my story on your profile! That's amazing. I'm so happy there are people who love my writing so much!  
The Word Shaker-Ah, sheesh, do I have to say anything? You're my awesome buddy who'll kick my in the butt about writing when I need it. You'll also sing as we walk through the park so we don't sneak up on couples o_O You're awesome!

I can't say thank you enough! hopefully I'll start on a new story soon, and I hope I'll have awesome readers like you!!

Lots and lots of love!

Jenna 3


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